
AUTHORS
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VAUGHN G.T. COOK is the senior associate in the Firm’s Hilo office and practices in the areas of taxation law, general business/commercial law, litigation, business entity formation and business immigration. He received his B.S.C. degree in Accounting from Santa Clara University, his J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law, and his LL.M. (in Taxation) from the University of Washington School of Law. Mr. Cook is a certified public accountant and a former tax manager for one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. Within the taxation area, Mr. Cook’s areas of concentration are international taxation, corporate taxation, and general business transactional planning for both profit and non-profit corporations. Mr. Cook is a member of the Hawai`i Bar, the Washington State Bar and the United States District Court in Hawai`i. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in the state of Hawai`i, a member of the Hawai`i Association of Public Accountants, a member of the Hawai`i Society of Certified Public Accountants, Vice President of the Hawai`i Island Chamber of Commerce and former President of the Hawai`i County Bar Association. | |
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NEWTON J. CHU is the resident director in the firm's Hilo office and practices in the areas of labor and employment, immigration, administrative licensing and general corporate law matters. Mr. Chu received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawai‘i, and his J.D. degree from Antioch School of Law. At the University of Hawai‘i, Mr. Chu earned the Lee-shao Chang Award for Excellence in Chinese Studies. Prior to joining the firm in 1995, Mr. Chu was a partner with Eng, Nishimura & Chu in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Chu advises companies on all islands throughout the state of Hawai’i, non-profit corporations, private schools and scientific institutions, and he is active in the community. He is the Past-Chair of the Hawai`i Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and a founding member of the Alliance of Alcohol Industry Attorneys & Consultants. Locally, he serves on the boards of directors of the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island, Hilo Junior Tennis Club, Chinese Civic Association, and the Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association. He is also a member of the Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce (Past President 2000-01), Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce, the Society of Human Resource Management (Past President Big Island 2005), and the Rotary Club of Hilo (Past President 2002-03). | |
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TAMARA M. GERRARD practices in the area of general civil litigation and Labor and Employment Law. Ms. Gerrard received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with distinction, in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and received her Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1992 where she was a member of the Hastings Law Journal and the Thurston Honor Society, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Ms. Gerrard is admitted to practice law in both Hawai`i and California. Ms. Gerrard served two terms (2008 and 2009) as the Chairperson of the Labor and Employment Section of the Hawai`i State Bar Association. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Hospice Hawai`i. | |
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JEFFREY S. HARRIS has concentrated his practice in all areas of labor and employment law for the last 30 years. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1980 and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1977. Mr. Harris has been selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America. | |
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ROBERT S. KATZ is an experienced trial attorney; his practice is concentrated in the area of complex business and real estate transactions, employment and labor law, healthcare law, and complex business litigation. He also serves as an arbitrator in complex business transactional disputes and as the Chief Negotiator in numerous labor negotiations. Mr. Katz has practiced with the firm since 1968 and has been consistently recognized as one of Hawai`i's preeminent lawyers. In 1999 he became the first lawyer from Hawai`i elected as a fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Mr. Katz has also been consistently selected by The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business, and honored by Who's Who in America. He was recently named as one of Hawai`i's "A+ Lawyers" by Honolulu Magazine. Mr. Katz received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctorate degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. Mr. Katz is admitted to the bar of all Hawai`i federal and state courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Katz is active in many community projects, and currently serves as a trustee of the Blood Bank of Hawai`i, a Director of the Hawai`i Opera Theatre, and a Director of The Contemporary Museum. He also served several years as co-chair of the American Bar Association's Employment Law Section on Antitrust and Labor Relations Law. | |
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NATHAN B. HONG is an attorney at Torkildson, Katz, Moore, Hetherington & Harris, where he practices in the firm’s Labor and Employment Department. Mr. Hong received his B.A. degree in Chinese from Brigham Young University after completing part of his studies at the Xi’an Foreign Language University in China. He received his J.D. degree from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the BYU International Law & Management Review. In 2007, he served as a legal extern to the Honorable Judge Ted Stewart in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. Mr. Hong practices in all areas of labor and employment matters and frequently presents at continuing education seminars for employers and Human Resource professionals. He is admitted to practice in Hawai`i and Washington State. | |
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KENDRA K. KAWAI joined the firm’s labor and employment law department as an associate in January 2007. She counsels and defends employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. Ms. Kawai has been licensed to practice law in Hawai`i since 2002. She previously worked for the City and County of Honolulu in the Department of the Corporation Counsel’s Tort Litigation Division for approximately three years. As a Deputy Corporation Counsel, she assisted and litigated numerous cases that went to trial at both the state and federal levels. Immediately after law school, Ms. Kawai worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Colleen K. Hirai, Chief Judge of the First Circuit of the State of Hawai`i. She received a B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. During law school, Ms. Kawai was a member of the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation Editorial Board and served as its Operations Editor. She also was selected as a member of the Moot Court Board for two consecutive years and served as its Assistant Director. | |
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JOHN L. KNOREK is a director of Torkildson, Katz, Moore, Hetherington & Harris. Since 1981 he has represented businesses and management executives in all aspects of employment and wrongful discharge law. He received his B.A. and M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Cincinnati, and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He has the highest "av" rating in Martindale-Hubbell, and ranked in “Best Lawyers in America” and “Chambers USA Client’s Guide” for employment law. John serves as a director and is former Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai`i and current chair of its Human Resources Committee. He also serves on several committees of the Pacific Club. John is active in fundraising for several organizations including Castle Medical Center. He guest lectures at the University of Hawai`i William S. Richardson School of Law and Shidler College of Business. | |
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HEATHER M. KNUTSON joined the firm's Labor and Employment Department in 2004. She advises and trains clients on various compliance matters, and represents companies in litigation and alternative dispute resolution of discrimination, harassment, disability, whistleblower and other claims. Ms. Knutson is a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of the Tulane University School of Law, where she was named to the Order of the Coif and was Senior Articles Editor of the Tulane Law Review. She received her undergraduate degree from New College of Florida in 1999. | |
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JOHN S. MACKEY joined the firm's Labor and Employment section in 2006. Mr. Mackey has worked for the City and County of Honolulu in the Department of Corporation Counsel's Tort Litigation Division, defending the City in a variety of lawsuits from alleged police abuse to employment claims; he also worked for the Office of Council Services, providing legal services to the Honolulu City Council. He has worked in the Employment and Elections Division of the Michigan Attorney General's Office where he defended a wide range of employment discrimination cases. Immediately after law school, Mr. Mackey worked as a law clerk for Hon. John C. Holstein of the Missouri Supreme Court. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawai`i and received his law degree from the University of Missouri. During law school Mr. Mackey was a member of the Journal of Dispute Resolution and a member of the Missouri Law Review. | |
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ERNEST C. "CARY" MOORE III has practiced in the area of employment law and labor relations since 1974. Born and raised in Hawai`i, Cary represents management in all employment and labor law matters, including alternative dispute resolution, discipline and discharge policies, and avoiding discrimination and harassment claims. Mr. Moore received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Dartmouth College and his Juris Doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University Law School. For the last two decades, he has been listed in the national reference volume “The Best Lawyers in America", and has been recognized as one of "Hawai`i's Best Lawyers” by Honolulu Magazine. Mr. Moore has presented numerous seminars on all aspects of employment and Labor Law to a wide variety of organizations, most recently the American Arbitration Association. Mr. Moore is the past President of the Board of Governors of The Pacific Club, the Industrial Relations Research Association, and the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation, and a current Vice President of La Pietra - Hawai`i School for Girls. | |
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KALANI A. MORSE advises and defends employers in all aspects of labor and employment law: litigating civil actions in state and federal courts, defending wrongful termination, harassment, reasonable accommodation, breach of contract, and other employment claims, including administrative charges, wage and hour audits, labor elections, union grievances and arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, and administrative and judicial appeals. Mr. Morse trains and advises employers on personnel issues and legal compliance, helping employers structure and implement lawful employment policies that ensure effective management. Mr. Morse regularly speaks at labor and employment law seminars, providing in-depth training on discrimination and harassment, employee privacy, health care compliance, drug policies, wage and hour compliance, internal investigations, and disability and leave laws. Mr. Morse is admitted to practice law in all state and federal courts in Hawai`i and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He received his BA from BYU and then worked as a project manager for IBM. He then earned his JD/MPA from BYU where he was repeatedly distinguished as a BYU Academic Merit Scholar and a Native Hawaiian Leadership Project Scholar. During law school, Mr. Morse served as a founder and Editor-in-Chief of the BYU International Law & Management Review and Director for the Moot Court Board of Advocates. | |
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WAYNE S. YOSHIGAI has extensive experience in representing employers in administrative and judicial proceedings, including arbitration, and litigation in state and federal courts. His practice concentrates in the area of harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, employee privacy, drug and alcohol testing, union organizing, unfair labor practices and all other areas of labor and employment law. He has practiced with the firm since 1986. Mr. Yoshigai received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in History and Literature from Claremont McKenna College and his Juris Doctorate degree from George Washington University. He is known for his unique and effective training for management and employees on sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, workplace violence and substance abuse. Mr. Yoshigai provides pro bono counsel to the Episcopal Church in Hawai`i, Ronald McDonald House, the Honolulu Symphony, and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai`i. He also served on the Hawai`i State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management as State Director. | |
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JOHN M. McGUIRE – Throughout the years, John McGuire has worked closely with Torkildson, Katz, Moore, Hetherington & Harris on the Chamber Desk Manual. John served for many years as the vice-president of government affairs for the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai`i and was instrumental in assisting the firm in the first publication and subsequent revisions of the Manual. He authored the chapter on "Occupational Safety and Health" in the first edition and has continued to revise the chapter over the years. His master's degree in occupational health and many years as a compliance inspector in the California OSHA program, combined with his legal background, make him uniquely qualified in this subject area. John currently runs his own business specializing in risk management and the administration of wrap-up insurance programs for large construction projects. | |













